You are here

Medical Emergency Caused Multi-Vehicle Crash

A local motorist suffered a medical emergency that spiraled into a multi-vehicle accident that caused damage to more than a dozen vehicles in Fort Smith on Saturday afternoon.

The man who suffered a seizure-like medical emergency and caused the multi-vehicle accident was transported to a local hospital where his condition is considered life-threatening, according to Sgt. George Cobb of the Fort Smith Police Department.

The man was driving his Nissan pickup west on Kelley Highway with his daughter along as a passenger when he suddenly had a seizure, Cobb said.

“In the process of having this seizure, he experienced a form of paralysis and couldn’t move,” Cobb said. “He smashed down on the accelerator and took off.”

As the man struggled with his medical emergency, he continued accelerating, traveling through a red light at high speed. When he came to a second red light, this one at the intersection of Kelley Highway and Midland Boulevard, he crashed into a Saturn SUV on Midland, destroying the SUV, according to Cobb.

“We know that he struck the Saturn SUV and after that either the Nissan or the Saturn struck a second vehicle, a Cadillac, and then either the Nissan or the Saturn struck a third vehicle,” Cobb said.

The man who suffered the medical emergency was ejected from the Nissan during the crash; his daughter was transported to a hospital but her injuries are not life threatening. The driver of the SUV was taken to a hospital; although his injuries are serious, he is in stable condition. The drivers of the other two vehicles were not injured, according to Cobb.

Although the primary accident involved four vehicles, debris from the wreck scattered into a nearby used car dealership and damaged approximately nine cars, Cobb said.